Chapter Twenty-One:

Period of Rest and Training

"Hmph." said an ominous voice. "So you three lost."

Ten, Eleven, and Twelve were looking up at a man, sitting on a throne. Ten was emotionless, Eleven was smiling, and Twelve was frowning.

"Yes, Two." said Ten. "But we managed to get valuable information. The person who holds the knowledge of Aizen is named Ishi Shihai...and you can get at him by attacking his friends, if you wish."

"What are the names of his friends?" asked Two.

"Iwashi Obi...Yoshiko Takana...Miro Miyake...and a psychic named Serra." said Ten. "Ishi, Serra, and Miro were the ones who defeated us...but I'm not sure about Iwashi and Yoshiko. They're probably weak."

"I see." said Two. "Well, they shall start to fight the single digits now. Soon...soon we shall be able to rid the world of those fools in charge of it...but first...

"We need to knowledge of what happened to Kazuki Aizen...so Five can actually work on the 'Zero Hour' project."

Zero Hour project? Thought Twelve.

"I see." said Ten. "Well, if it helps...all of the duelists we mentioned are in the rank of Ra Yellow."

"Alright." said Two. "That's good...if Nine loses, then Eight can fight them...he's in Ra Yellow as well, correct?"

"Yes." said Ten.

"Alright." said Two. "You three may be dismissed."

The three nodded, and walked away.

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"Whew." said Twelve, sighing. "Why didn't he punish us to death, like in the movies?"

"Fool." said Ten. "This isn't a movie. Also, they can't spare any soldiers. They idea to get 'Minutes' was never able to pass, considering we couldn't find any others besides us twelve who believe that murdering the fools running the world is the best way to dispose of them."

"I see." said Twelve. "Then, I have to ask...what's the 'Zero Hour' project?"

Ten looked at him. "You shall find out when it is executed. For now...we shall continue to be informed on the progress of Ishi and his friends."

"Huh." said Twelve. "I wonder...it's been three or so days since we left, right? I wonder what they've been doing since then..."

"I bet..." said Eleven. "They've been resting!"

"Probably." said Ten. "Although..."

The two weaknesses, Iwashi and Yoshiko...have they realized what they should do yet?

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It's been three days. Thought Ishi.

He was lying in his bed, Miro reading a book on his own bed. When are they going to send in other members of the Twelve Hours of the Night? There should be nine left...Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, and One. Miro, Serra, and I were each able to defeat our opponents...but it seems that Serra's the strongest of us all. I've been thinking for days about ways to train, but none come to mind. Iwashi and Yoshiko...I haven't seen them for a while...could they be training? Maybe I could join them...no, they have their own thing. Maybe I should spar against Serra...?

He scratched his head. I don't know if I should...she seems awfully distant from all of us. And she claims to be psychic...although it seems that she really is. She was easily able to beat Ten...well, losing less than half of her Life Points. As she is now, she could probably beat a few more...maybe up to Seven or so? No, it really depends on how strong the ones further up are. There could be only a slight difference in strength, or a huge one. Hm...in that case, I really do need to train...

He nodded to himself. Alright, the next time I have a chance, I'll ask Serra to duel me. For practice...

With that thought, he fell asleep. Miro looked over at him, hearing him snoring.

Ishi... he thought. Are you sure you're ready to face more of the Twelve Hours of the Night...then again...

Am I even ready?

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Iwashi: 200

Yoshiko: 1400

"Kenshin, attack directly for the win!" exclaimed Iwashi.

"Ugh." said Yoshiko. Iwashi had only Rurouni- Kenshin, while she had no cards on the field. Iwashi had cleared up the field with a combination of Dark Hole and Heavy Storm.

Yoshiko: 0

"Alright!" said Yoshiko. "I think both of us have improved by a lot these past three days! Now all we need is..."

"...to rest." said Iwashi. "I think...we've done enough for now."

Yoshio looked at him. "Are you sure, Iwashi?"

"Yeah." he said. "You and I will take on Nine and Eight, when they arrive. That will be our test. If we lose, then they'll just try and duel Ishi. They don't know that we hold the knowledge."

"True." said Yoshiko. She nodded. "Alright! That'll be our test! Are you ready, Iwashi?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "We can do this!"

The two grinned at each other.

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"Oh, me?" said a voice.

"Yes." said the voice belonging to Three. "You, Nine, shall meet up with Eight at Duelist Academy. You can probably get there in two days form where you are right now."

"Sure." said the one known as Nine. "So who do I looked for?"

"Ishi Shihai, Iwashi Obi, Yoshiko Takana, Miro Miyake, and a psychic named Serra." said Three. "Iwashi and Yoshiko might be possible weaknesses. I want you and Eight to attack one of them each."

"Got it." said Nine. "We'll beat them, and then get the knowledge of what happened to Aizen."

"Yes." said Three. "But remember...Ishi is the one who actually hold the knowledge."

"Alright." said Nine. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Three hung up.

"Alright, Iwashi and Yoshiko!" said Nine out loud. "Prepare for duels you'll never forget!"

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Next Time:

The Tests Begin

Nine arrives at the Island, preparing to duel, while Eight watches from the shadows, ready to take over if necessary! It's Nine versus Iwashi in this next duel...

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Author's Note: Here's the chapter for today, and I gave you guys some interesting things to think about.

The 'Zero Hour' project and Five's connection to Aizen.

Please R&R!

-Salazare